Overcoming an Obstacle

At this point, I felt about 80% sure I wanted to become
a Muslim, but something was holding me back. I was concerned about the
reaction of my family and friends if they knew that I had become a Muslim. Shortly
thereafter, I expressed this concern to a Muslim who told me that on Judgment
Day, no one will be able to help you, not your father, mother or any of your
friends.[1] Therefore,
if you believe Islam is the true religion, you should embrace it and live your
life to please the One who created you. Thus, it became very lucid to me that
we are all in the same boat; every soul shall taste death and then we’ll be
liable for our particular belief in God and for our deeds.[2]

A Meaningful Videotape

By this stage in my search for the truth, I was on the
verge of embracing Islam. I watched an Islamic lecture on videotape about the
purpose of life. The main theme of this lecture was that the purpose of life
may be summed up in one word, i.e., Islam (submission to the Will of God).

An additional point was that, unlike other religions or
beliefs, the term ‘Islam’ is not associated with any particular person or place.
God has named the religion in the following Quranic verse:

“Indeed, the only religion acceptable to God is Islam...” (Quran
3:19)

Anyone who embraces Islam is called a Muslim regardless
of that person’s race, sex or nationality. This is one of the reasons why
Islam is a universal religion.

Prior to my search for the truth, I had never seriously
considered Islam as an option because of the constant negative portrayal of
Muslims in the media. Similarly, it was disclosed in this videotape that
although Islam, is characterized by high moral standards, not all Muslims
uphold these standards. I learned the same can be said about adherents of
other religions. I finally understood that we cannot judge a religion by the
actions of its followers alone, as I had done, because all humans are fallible.
On that account, we should not judge Islam by the actions of its followers, but
by its revelation (the Holy Quran) and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, may the
mercy and blessings of God be upon him.

The last point I picked up from this lecture concerned
the importance of gratitude. God mentions in the Quran that we should be
grateful for the fact that He created us:

“And God has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers
not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e.,
intellect] that perhaps you would be grateful.” (16:78)

God has also cited gratitude along with belief, and has
made it clear that He gains nothing from punishing His people nor will He gain
anything when they give thanks to Him and believe in Him. He says in the Quran,

“What would God gain from your punishment if you are grateful
and believe?” (Quran 4:147)

The Truth Unveils Itself

As soon as the videotape had finished, I experienced the
truth being unveiled. I felt a huge burden of sins flying off my back. Moreover,
it felt like my soul was rising above the earth, refusing the makeshift
delights of this world in favor of the eternal joys of the Hereafter. This
experience, coupled with the long process of reasoning, solved the ‘purpose of life
puzzle’. It revealed Islam as the truth, thereby replenishing my ‘spiritual
landscape’ with belief, purpose, direction and action. I therefore entered the
gate of Islam by saying the declaration of faith required to become a Muslim: Ashhadu
an La ilaha illa Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolu llah. (I
bear witness that there is no deity but God and Muhammad is His Messenger). I
was informed that this formal testimony confirms one’s belief in all the
prophets and messengers of God, along with all of His Divine revelations in
their original form, thereby updating and completing one’s religion to the last
of the prophets [Muhammad] and to the final revelation of God [the Quran]. The
following point became overwhelmingly clear to me: Had Jesus been the last
prophet of God and had the Gospel been the final revelation, I would have
attested to that. As a result, I have naturally chosen to follow the final
revelation from the Creator as exemplified by the seal of the prophets.

Impressions of a New Muslim

During my search to find the truth, the lesson which
transcended all lessons was that all objects of worship other than God are mere
delusions. To anyone who sees this clearly, the only possible course is to
bring one’s own will and actions into complete unison with that of God. Submitting
to the Will of God has enabled me to experience inner-peace with the Creator,
with others and finally, with myself. Consequently, I feel very grateful, that
by the Mercy of God, I have been rescued from the depths of ignorance and have
stepped into the light of truth. Islam, the true religion of all times, places
and peoples, is a complete code of life which guides man to fulfill the purpose
of his existence on earth, and prepares him for the Day when he will return to
his Creator. Following this path in a devout manner enables one to gain the
pleasure of God and to be closer to Him amid the endless delights of Paradise while escaping from the punishment of Hellfire. Another bonus is that our
present life will be much happier when we make such a choice.

A Deceptive Enjoyment

Embracing Islam has given me more of an insight into the
illusive nature of this life. For instance, one basic object of Islam is the
liberation of man. This is why a Muslim calls himself ‘Abdullah’, the slave or
servant of Allah (i.e., God) because enslavement to God signifies liberation
from all other forms of servitude, and although modern man may think that he is
liberated, he is in fact a slave to his desires. He is generally deceived by
this worldly life. He is ‘addicted’ to hoarding wealth, sex, violence,
intoxicants, etc. But above all, he is often seduced by the capitalist system
that tends to work through the invention of false needs, which he feels must be
satisfied instantly. God says in the Quran,

“Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire? Then
would you be responsible for him? Or do you think that most of them hear or
reason? They are not except as livestock. Rather, they are [even] more astray
in [their] way. )” (Quran 25:43-44)

Correspondingly, we should not let our zeal to enjoy the
pleasures of this fleeting life jeopardize our opportunity to enjoy the bliss
of Paradise. As God says in the Quran:

“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire -
of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and
cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of the worldly life, but God has
with Him the best return [i.e. Paradise]. Say, “Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who
fear God will be gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide
eternally, and purified spouses and (they will
attain the) pleasure of God...” (Quran 3:14-15)

Therefore, the real competition in this life is not the
accumulation of wealth or the desire for fame; it is racing with one another to
perform good deeds to please God, while having our lawful portion of enjoyment
in this life.[3]

The Right Path to God

There are many religious alternatives available to man
and it is up to him to choose the one he wishes to follow. He is like a
merchant with many goods in front of him, and it is his choice which one to
trade in. He will obviously select the one he thinks will be the most
lucrative. However, the merchant is unsure and has no guarantee of prosperity;
his product may have a market and he may make handsome returns, but he could
just as easily lose all of his money. In contrast, the believer in the Oneness
of God who submits to His Will (a Muslim), is completely sure that if he
follows the path of guidance [the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad]
there will undoubtedly be success and reward waiting for him at the end of this
path. Fortunately, this success also starts at the beginning of the path.

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, may God be pleased with him,
narrated that God’s Messenger said, “If a person embraces Islam sincerely, then
God shall forgive all his past sins, and after that starts the settlement of
accounts: the reward of his good deeds will be greater in value by ten to seven
hundred times, and an evil deed will be recorded as it is unless God forgives
it .(Bukhari)

Epilogue

Based on my search for the truth, I concluded that the
precise way we believe in God and the deeds we perform determine our future
condition for eternity. Our Creator is giving us all an equal chance,
regardless of our circumstances, to earn His pleasure in preparation for Judgment
Day, as in the following Quranic verses:

“And obey God and His messenger that you may obtain mercy. And
hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as
the Heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.” (Quran 3:132-133)

If we sincerely seek the truth of this life, which is
Islam (submission to the Will of God), God will guide us there, God Willing. He
directs us to examine the life and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad as he is the
best role model for mankind to follow. Furthermore, God directs us to
investigate and ponder what He says in the Quran. One will see that the Quran
is indeed like a persistent and strong knocking on a door, or loud shouts
seeking to awaken those who are fast asleep because they are just completely
absorbed by this life on earth. The knocks and shouts appear one after the
other: Wake up! Look around you! Think! Reflect! God is there! There is
planning, trial, accountability, reckoning, reward, severe punishment and
lasting bliss!

Clearly and unequivocally, the best way to live and die
in this world is as a righteous Muslim! When one comes to the conclusion that
Islam is the truth, he should not delay in becoming a Muslim because he may die
first, and then it will be too late.[4]

A few months after embracing Islam, I found two verses
in the Quran that mirror what the American Muslim told me regarding how we
should live and die:

“And Abraham instructed his sons and [so did] Jacob, [saying],
“O my sons! Indeed God has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except
while you are Muslims.” (Quran 2:132)

And,

“O you who believe, fear God as He should be feared and do not
die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].”
(Quran 3:102)

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